RWBY: Black Rebellion - Act II
by Starlight's Poet
Summary: The die has been cast. There is no more going back. From here on, the choices you shall make shall forever be engraved into the present of the world. You possess a great power, yet it shall forever force you to lead a life of solitude. Are you prepared for this? "Of course. After all, I made a deal with the Devil."
1. Chapter 1

_**In this world, many of those in power would preach that all homosapiens, that all humans and Faunus, regardless of gender or nationality, are equal.**_

 _ **However...such words are false. In this world, there are the few who know the truth: that the powerful survive through the suffering of the weak. Social Darwinism.**_

 _ **Such is the way of the world.**_

 _However, there is one individual who would challenge the order of this world. A man who leads an organization that intends to challenge the natural order of things. Regardless of the fact that he walks unto a battlefield waged by dark and light._

 _This is not the story of an honest, simple soul. This is a story of a soul who resides in the dark for the purpose of protecting that soul._

* * *

"You can't change the world without getting your hands dirty." -Lelouch vi Britannia

* * *

 **RWBY: Black Rebellion**

* * *

Out in the edges of the warf in Vale, a small warehouse, which should have been shutdown for the time being, was lit up like a Christmas tree. As the police never attempted to investigate or patrol the area, no one would ever bother looking into why someone was running a warehouse at this time of night. Inside this warehouse were many people, all dressed like common thugs with a notable few dressed in sharp suits. They were constantly moving back and forth between rows of shelves, grabbing large crates and loading them up into the black vans out in the center of the room.

In front of that van were various individuals. Given how they dressed, they were obviously of higher standing than the rest of the thugs. Evidence of this fact were the expensive-looking gold accessories some of them wore. Rings, necklaces, wristwatches and/or decorated canes - the whole nine yards.

"This stuff is amazing." one of the men in front of the van smirked. "It's easy to manufacture, its cheap and you can practically sell it to anyone. They don't even know what they're buying or shooting themselves up with."

"Got that right." another executive chuckled as he lit his cigar. "Hard to believe the Boss came up with this stuff in Atlas of all places. Imagine what we'll be able to do with all this."

"You think we'll be able to overthrow Torchwick?"

"Forget Torchwick. We could overthrow the Council!"

The men all shared a laugh. They were conceited and corrupt like the rest of the filth that controlled Vale's underbelly. They were all the same. Competing against each other for bids of power, seeing who could amass a large territory or gain total dominance of Vale before someone else did. Roman was the highest power, but simply because he had respect didn't mean he would stay at the top forever. There would always be those who wanted to usurp him from underneath his seat of power. The men in the warehouse were among those individuals.

However, the curtain was about to fall on them. In fact, it already had as, without any warning, the lights that illuminated the warehouse suddenly shut off, bringing darkness unto them and throwing them into panic.

"T-Turn the lights back on! Quickly!"

Feet scrambled to get the lights back on as quickly as possible. The executives were tense as they looked around, keeping their firearms primed and ready. The fact that the lights cut out like that worried them without end. Something was happening. The lights eventually came back on, and when it did, they were quick to notice that there were newfound occupants in the warehouse.

A group had collected up on the catwalk, bearing down on them like prey. Men and women dressed in various clothing, some even possessing animalistic features, but they all shared one thing in common: an ebony Grimm mask with dark purple markings and a black jacket with silver trims. Two people in particular stood out among the group: one was a female with long black hair with cat ears atop her head. Her jacket's hem ended at her stomach and the left sleeve was rolled up to the forearm. The upper half of her face was hidden behind a similar mask as the rest. The second was male, though compared to the rest his jacket resembled more of a coat with a hood pulled over his face, strands of electric blue hair poking out while a mask covered his entire face.

Unlike his companion, who was straight and proper with her sword out, the male was leaning on the railing, casually resting one arm on it while the other was raised up, holding a dancing blue flame in his hand.

Of course, what drew their attention the most was the single figure amid the crowd: a cape wrapped around him like the wings of a bat, a cravat at the neck while wearing a purple suit. The most defining feature being the black mask with a purple orb in the center, gazing down upon them with intent.

All those in attendance knew who they were.

"Y-you are-!"

* * *

"-The Black Fang!"

Blake shouted without thinking, raising up from her seat. As a result, her chair scrapped up against the floor. It took her a moment to realize that she was still in the classroom. It took her another moment to realize that everyone was staring at her strangely. Looking at the podium, Blake found Oobleck staring at her quizically before he took a drink from his mug.

"...While I appreciate the mention of a group who's been making strides in the community, for better or worse, Miss Belladonna..." he said slowly. "Please do remember to catch up on your sleep. At least in your own time. Not in my class, please."

The class, minus her team and JNPR, could only laugh at her as Blake sat back down in her seat, cheeks flushed while cursing her own double life. She had barely gotten any sleep these days, especially since she found herself working along with Rouge within the past few months. Speaking of Rouge, she spotted the teen lounging on his arm almost tiredly, reading on his Scroll with a look of disinterest. Oobleck somehow didn't notice him or was simply just in that much of a rush, going through history class in no time at all.

She had no idea how he was able to do it. He made studying so easy. He barely needed to even pay attention in class to understand the material.

Sometimes whip she wondered if he was some sort of genius. But given how he was able to organize a group like the Black Fang at such a young age...it may not be that far from the truth.

* * *

The Black Fang...

Founded well over a year ago, they were created for a singular purpose. Unlike the White Fang, who sought to change the status quo through means of force and attacking those who publicly exercised Faunus "slave labor", they attacked those who created schisms between the two races. It was not simply corporations. No, far from it. The Black Fang attacked others who took advantage of the suffering of others.

Before long, many had come to consider the Black Fang to be the heroes of justice. The unsung paragons who protected the weak. To others, however, they were zealot idealists who created social anarchy. Quite frankly, Rouge did not care what the public thought of them. The Black Fang were a group banded together to combat those who oppress the weak. They are bound to destroy the world that sanctifies only the strong and scorns the weak.

To that end, a symbol was made. A symbol that rejected the world itself.

 _Zero._

Nobody. Nothing. A empty identity. A being who desired the worlds destruction to enact its rebirth.

To the governments of Remnant, it was a madman who would bring ruin to the decaying society they had been trying to hold on to. To others, however, it was the name of a man who would create a new system. A new world. One where they could find true peace. Of course, what constituted as "peace" was often up for debate. Zero made no promises that he could create a new world that could appease everyone. Their actions would determine whether the world would be a paradise or a hell, though the man who forged this mask was hellbent on making sure the world that would come after the end would be one where Ruby Rose, his beloved sister, would be happy.

After the attempted hotel hijacking and the subsequent worldwide debut of the Black Fang, the Kingdoms were now fully aware of how powerful Zero and his soldiers were. The message was clear. They would do whatever it took to bring down their corrupt society while eliminating the trash that poisoned the Kingdoms.

And the worst part was...he had the Councils scared out of their wits.

That was good. He wanted to instill fear in those stubborn old coots who had grown too complacent in times of peace. It was time for a wake up call.

For years, they had grown complacant. Foolish. They thought that they were safe behind their walls. He changed that by hacking into the CTT towers and broadcasting his appearance to the world. It had been so easy, creating a virus that could hijack the airwaves in one of the most important pieces of technology in Remnant, yet so easily fragile. Without it, communication between the kingdoms wouldn't be possible. At least, not to the extent it was today.

And an even more grievous flaw is that if even one tower went down, inter-continental communication would be cut off completely.

Seriously. It is a critical design and operational flaw.

Regardless, with everything now set into motion, Remnant was going to be quite busy in the coming months. Especially for those who knew what was coming, as well as those who would be on the receiving end of the Black Fang's judgement.

* * *

As class came to an end, Blake couldn't help but yawn, holding a hand over her mouth. "This double life is a killer..." she muttered to herself, rubbing her eye to remove the sand from the retina.

A school life on top of a vigilante life? Right now, she's only getting a few hours of sleep at best. And to top it all off, she has to keep her activities secret from her friends and team. It wouldn't be too much of an issue if Yang wasn't so nosy.

The first few nights of her new occupation, and her partner pestered her with questions regarding where she was going or where she was.

She had tried to assure her partner that it wasn't anything serious. Yang, however, wasn't so easily convinced. It had been a week before Blake had managed to shake her off by explaining that it was some personal business. Rouge had walked in around that time and, seeing her problem, collaborated with her story whilst also telling her that he had actually asked Blake for help in a project. Something he didn't want Yang or Ruby to know of. It seemed to satisfy her partner, but she could tell Yang wasn't completely convinced.

She started becoming more careful after that. The last thing she needed was for Yang, or anyone on her team, to find out that she was with the Black Fang, raiding hideouts and criminal organizations.

And the very last thing that she wanted was for any of them, especially Ruby and Yang, to eventually learn of Rouge's leadership in the Black Fang. That includes what he had done. It would devastate them.

"Blake!" Ruby called out from the hall. "Get the lead out! We're heading to the food court!"

"Coming..." Blake responded tiredly. They couldn't know. They must NEVER find out. And she would do her damn best to leave it that way.

...but right now, she needed tea. Gods know she needs it. She just hoped nothing was going to happen.

* * *

"Sister! Brother! Friends! ...Weiss!"

"Hey!"

Blake sighed. She just had to tempt fate, hadn't she? "Four score and seven minutes ago...I had a dream!" Ruby announced.

"Well, this oughta be good..."

Blake shook her head, doing her best to ignore the whole thing and enjoy her tea. Whatever Ruby had in mind, she would do regardless. She had to contribute somehow. Still, she felt a bit worried. Especially since the book she brought out was Weiss'. A fact that the heiress pointed out not five seconds later. Looking on the other side, where Team JNPR sat, she found Rouge idly musing with his Scroll.

 _'What are you thinking, I wonder...'_

His expression remained passive as he browsed through his Scroll, not paying any mind to what his sister was saying. In fact, he seemed rather bored.

The only time he seemed to be paying any sort of attention was when Yang had been struck by an apple after her failed attempt at a joke, causing her to glare at Nora in annoyance and try to retaliate with food warfare. Sighing, Blake looked back at her notebook. She stared at the sketch she made of Adam one time, his face seemingly different despite being an accurate drawing. She still could hardly believe that the person she admired, and at one point loved, had changed so much. It was clear in their meeting he still hated humans, but for some reason, that didn't extent to Rouge.

 _'Now that I think about it, Adam mentioned to me once he had a friend once.'_ she thought, glancing back up at Rouge. _'I wonder if...'_

Surprisingly, Rouge for the first time since arriving spoke up as he removed his earbuds from his ears and looked up at Ruby and Yang with a frown. "Must you two be so loud?" he asked. "I understand the semester's started, but I'd like to study, thank you."

"Study, study, study..." Ruby groaned. "That's all you ever do. Learn to live a little, my bestest little brother!"

"Bestest is not a word, Ruby. Also, given who our dear older sister is, I'd rather not. Especially if she starts dragging me around. Melanie and Militia still aren't talking to me after she went and busted up Xiong's club."

Weiss tilted her head. "Who?"

"Junior Xiong. He is the owner of a bar on the shady side of town. He is also an exceptional source of information." Rouge answered easily. "Melanie and Militia are twins who serve as the club's bouncers."

Ruby nodded and added helpfully, "They're also good friends of his, since Rouge used to work part-time for Junior." She put her hands on her hips, giving a small pout as she looked at her twin. "And you still haven't told me what you bought with the money you saved up from that job!"

"That's a secret, Ruby." Rouge responded. "Anyway, the last I heard from them was after Yang smashed Junior's club."

Yang groaned. "It was for a good cause!"

"By looking for Aunt Raven? And when Xiong didn't know anything, you just decided to beat him up because of that?"

"He was the one who-" She was promptly cut off when something large and green suddenly came in and slammed into her face, knocking her right of her seat. Blake blinked as she looked at the destroyed remains of the food in question. 'A watermelon?' she thought. 'Where did they get that?' Yang pulled herself up and glared at the culprit: a seemingly innocent Nora, who whistled and looked away. "Okay, Nora... Just remember." she growled, pulling out a pie. "You asked for it!"

"W-wait, Yang-!" Blake tried to stop her, but it was already too late.

The pie was sent flying.

Several seconds later, a massive food fight took over the entire cafeteria.

* * *

Meanwhile, at the streets of Vale, two individuals walked away from a bookstore, one of them clearly miffed and the other slightly amused. "Why wasn't he there?" the female of the group growled in frustration. Her mint-green hair was styled to a straight fringe and bangs with two long locks on each side in the back. She wore two bronze-colored rings on her middle fingers, and a pair of high-heeled shoes. She wore a thinned top shirt with a shallow-cut undershirt, and wore an armband with beads. She also wore white pants and brown chaps that ended at her calves with an overlong belt, twice-wrapped around her, which was where she kept her weapons as well as a single pouch. "Did he leave already? Or did someone tip him off?"

"Does it really matter?" her companion, a male with silver-gray hair partially slicked back while unkempt at the front. He wore a slate gray and black two-tone partial-zip jacket, that covered his upper body. Along with it, he had a single notched belt with a sash or bandana draped over it. At his arms were sets of rerebraces and vambraces. "Sure, I mean, Cinder might not be happy, but come on. It's just one guy."

"Mercury? Shut up."

"Sorry, Emerald. Not gonna happen." Mercury responded cheekily, causing the woman to scowl while he laughed at her expense. As they crossed the street, he noticed several television sets playing behind a glass window at a nearby store. On the screens were a variety of shows, being either cartoons or news reports. One of them featured a familiar figure that had been taking the world by storm. "They're still talking about what happened at the hotel?"

"It was a pretty big incident. I heard Rojo was killed. But still, this Zero guy seems like a primadonna." Emerald scoffed.

"I thought he was an attention whore."

"Is there a difference?"

Mercury shrugged. "Well, either way, Cinder's been really docile lately. I know the guy's new to the scene, but does she have to be so careful? I mean, seriously. How would he know what we've got in store?"

"It pays to be careful. Something you wouldn't know." his partner shot back at him. In truth, she wasn't really worried about Zero. She had the utmost faith in Cinder. Whatever Zero had in store, it would mean nothing. "At any rate, Cinder isn't going to be happy when she finds out that Roman let Tukson get away."

"No she wouldn't."

Mercury sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "For once, I kind of pity the poor bastard. Actually, where did Cinder run off to, anyway?"

* * *

Cinder Fall rarely hated people. Hate referred to people one could not stand whatsoever. In her life, she's hated very few. Faces that she had long since forgotten after having coming under Salem's tutelage.

Arthur Watts was a face she could never forget nor come to like.

"You're late." the man said with disapproval as he looked up from his Scroll, which was lit up with various reports and whatnot in regards to his latest project. "You were supposed to arrive ten minutes ago."

"Caught in traffic." she responded with barely concealed contempt. Both of them knew they didn't like each other. Thus, there was no reason to be civil. "I would like to say its a pleasure to see you, Watts, but I think we both know that's a lie." She took a seat on the sofa opposing him, crossing her legs as she took out her Scroll. A few inputs later and the data she gathered was presented. Placing it on the table, the information expanded into a holographic screen, showing everything she's collected on her latest interest. "This is all of the information we've been gathering about Zero and his Black Fang over the course of the year. It seems Hazel had a reason to be concerned."

Watts shrugged. "He's always concerned with unknown threats. Though this particular threat is one to be concerned with for a reason."

After all, this threat had managed to free the prisoners of the Hotel, killed Rojo, and announced its presence and declared war on all four Kingdoms. On top of that, they had been making a muck of Salem's plans for Vale. By increasing Dust prices, manufacturing would leave them weakened. And incompetence from Ozpin's arrogance would lead to Atlas taking over, which would then lead to her being able to raise hell and obtain the Fall Maiden's powers whilst sowing the seeds of discord into the kingdoms. Along with waking up a Grimm that had been sleeping for far too long. It was nearly time for it to wake up.

However, Zero had thrown a monkey wrench with his interference. Yes, Dust prices were rising, but the supplies needed for the upcoming operation were nowhere near minimal. Additionally, White Fang bases were constantly under attack, losing manpower in the process. At the rate things were progressing, the plans would be considerably delayed. And that was not even counting the fact that Zero had announced his plans and presence worldwide via hacking into the CTT. Something that irritated yet intrigued her.

Watts certainly seemed to agree with her on that thought, evident by the thoughtful look on his face. "Zero has friends in high places." he said as he crossed his legs and folded his hands, leaning into his seat. "Between hacking into the CTT and disabling security systems belonging to some of the most wealthiest of companies, he's quite equipped. Added to his charisma, and he's quite the force to be reckoned with." He took a quick drink of the cup he had prepared earlier, though he believed he could have done better. It was slightly bitter, likely due to the leaves he used. "Still, he's a thorn in our side. Him hacking into the CTT for that broadcast message has led to the council choosing to strengthen their firewalls. At best, the virus will only let you into a few patches of their security."

The amber-eyed woman leaned back, arms across her chest. "And will this be before the dance party at Beacon begins, or after?"

"A little bit of both." the man answered. "The party will be your only opportunity to hack into it. Better to have some cards on the table than none at all." He took another sip before his eyes narrowed. "I doubt I have to remind you how important this job is."

Cinder repressed a scowl. "I'm fully aware."

"Remember, Cinder, _both_ of our necks are on the line here."

"I know."

She emphasized her awareness. If they failed...Salem would NOT be happy. Not at all. Failure with the woman who embodied her very ideals was the same as tying a rope around your neck and jumping off a platform, waiting for the line to snap your neck and pray it came swiftly.

Still, she would admit, Zero had her curious. He was a new player, and so far, his intentions were rather clear and quite amusing. A man more or less declaring war on the Kingdoms? He was either very bold or very foolish. For a single group to declare war against all four kingdoms of Remnant was suicidal.

Yet, something about him intrigued her to no end. She couldn't put her finger on it.

 _'Oh well. It doesn't matter.'_ Cinder concluded her business with Watts as he transferred the program to her and she free to leave. _'One man can't possibly pose a threat, no matter how great his forces.'_

* * *

"I still believe we should have put them on clean-up duty as punishment." Glynda said as she and Ozpin returned to the main office, disembarking the elevator as its doors closed behind them. "The janitors have enough problems with the mess children leave behind as is."

The man could only smile thinly as he sat behind his desk, placing his mug on the flat surface. "It is the start of a new semester, Glynda. Shenanigans such as this will always be commonplace." he told her calmly, honestly finding no problem in a food fight gone out of proportion. "Besides, let them have their fun. It is I said earlier, they will not be able to play the role of children forever. Especially considering what they're embarking for."

 _'Especially Ruby Rose and her brother, most of all.'_ he silently added, though he was sure Glynda understood this as well. Given their heritage, their paths were all but decided for them. Whether they liked it or not. He at least hoped that the older of the twins would be able to play the role of a child for a little while longer. _'They're paths are all but decided.'_

His assistant and Vice-Headmistress adjusted her glasses, creating a reflective glare before she sighed. "I suppose." she relented, though she made a minor note to have a more serious discussion with the man should another situation like this happen again. She would let it slide, but this was a school for heaven's sake. She took out her Scroll, bringing up the schedule planned for today. Finding one entry at the top, Glynda pursed her lips. "Hm. Strange."

"What is it?"

"Your appointment was ten minutes ago. Is she perhaps late?"

The elevator let out a sound, signaling the presence of a visitor. The two looked on as the doors slid open, allowing two individuals to enter. One was male, dressed like a butler of sorts with a sharp awareness of his surroundings and eyes like those of a hawk. His posture was lacking, but the aura he gave off was one that reminded Ozpin of a veteran Huntsman. Standing next to the butler, however, was a woman that he had only met a few times before. Each time, he could swear she hadn't aged a day. Her skin remained as fair as always, her lime green hair always flowing over her shoulders, and her golden eyes always displaying the look of a trickster and chessmaster plotting his next move. Her attire was quite beautiful and matched her exotic appearance. A black kimono that ended just short of the calves, the sleeves cut open and the slits reaching up to the elbows. Red, black and purple designs decorated the fabric, mostly consisting of roses and thorns.

"Sorry I'm a bit late." the woman said with a small smile. "I was a bit pre-occupied with another engagement."

Ozpin waved a hand. "It's quite alright, Ms. Lamperouge." he told her earnestly. "To be honest, I wasn't expecting you to respond to my request, much less ask for a meeting."

"I prefer not to beat around the bush." the woman smiled. Something about that smile sent shivers down Glynda's spine. She didn't look dangerous. No, she looked utterly harmless. But something about her was off. There was a foreign presence among her form. Something that made warning bells go off in her head. "That, and I was curious. Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't the Schnee Dust Company usually the one who provides Dust expenses and supply for the Vytal Festival?"

"It is as you say. However, given the recent turn of events at the Resort and the harbor, we thought it best to perform business with you and your corporation."

The woman could only give a small giggle, holding a sleeve to cover her mouth. "True. Still, I don't think Jacques Schnee will be quite happy, what with his company being shoe-horned this year. I've also heard about the incident at the harbor. Seems like Vale's becoming more and more dangerous as of lately, don't you think?"

"I'm afraid so." Ozpin nodded. "With recent string of robberies, Dust prices have become inflated while what remainder we have left is being spread thin amongst our defenses. It will be a long while before stock suppliers can regain what was lost in the robberies."

"I see." The woman was silent for a moment, as if debating something, before she smiled, showing off her pearly whites. It was Cheshire-like, something hidden behind that smile. "Very well, then. The Lamperouge Corporation will gladly supply Dust resources for this year's Vytal Festival."

"Thank you. We greatly appreciate your assistance." Ozpin nodded gratefully.

"Although...there is something that I'm willing to accept in exchange for our assistance."

Ozpin tilted his head, curious. "And what might that be, if I may ask?"

If it were possible, the woman's smile grew even wider. "...I understand you have a particular child within your student body. One Rouge Rose, correct?"

Ozpin and Glynda shared a look with one another, both puzzled. The headmaster then turned back to the woman. "Yes, we have a student by that name here. He's not currently apart of a Team, due to the odd number of applicants this year. Why do you ask?"

"You could say that he has piqued my interest. I would like to meet with him."

* * *

Once the whole mess at the cafeteria was done and over with, Rouge had returned to his room in time to receive a call from Edan. After making sure no one was listening and locking the door behind him, he opened his scroll and answered.

The news was...troubling, to say the least.

"Refrain?" Rouge asked with a frown. Something in the back of his head registered that name. It sounded familiar, but not in the meaning. There was something else that troubled him. He couldn't quite place what it was, but shoved it to the side. "That's what the drug is called?"

 _[Yep.]_ Edan replied with an emphasis of the 'p' sound, ending it with a pop. _[Did a bit digging thanks to PIECE. Stuff's dirt cheap and easy to manufacture, like I told you, but popularity ain't the only scary shit behind this stuff. It makes you relive the good old days. As in, if you somehow went back in time to your old self and watched all the good stuff play out all over again. One of the guys wanted to see what the shit did. Let me tell ya, Leader. Shit ain't pretty.]_

The odd-eyed teen bit his lip. "Do we know who's making it?"

 _[Only a name. Some chick named Verid. Turns out, she used to run with Torchwick back when he was just your above-average criminal, hopping in getaway vans and robbing poor bastards blind with scams and whatnot. She apparently used to be with a bunch of guys calling themselves the Black Church, but she split off after infighting between the head honchos.]_

"So she's a rogue criminal then?"

 _[That's right. And now she's organized her own drug cartel manufacturing this stuff like its no tomorrow. They're targeting the unfortunate with this stuff. Impoverished individuals, Faunus who got the short end of the stick, addicts, criminals, low-life's, the less than fortunate, you name it. They're all a target to sell this shit too. And what's worse is that it's highly addictive. It makes the user feel like that they can't go on without reliving the good old days. We found that out when one of our guys tested it effects.]_

Rouge rubbed his chin thoughtfully. As Edan continued to describe it, the sense of familiarity grew. Had he heard of Refrain somewhere before? Doubtful. He would have remembered if something like this existed. "I see. And what about the side-effects that come after use, other than addiction?"

 _[Well, it comes with the standard side effects you would expect from normal drugs. Jitteriness. Mood swings. Erratic behavior. Depression. But the one thing that sticks out the most though, is that it's putting the users in catatonic states. As if they become trapped in their memories after reliving them. The more refrain is used, the longer this lasts.]_

"How long was our guinea pig affected?"

 _[12 Hours. Extreme cases last for days.]_ Edan snorted, tone showing great contempt for whoever designed the drug in the first place. _[Tellin' ya, Leader. When we find out who's making the stuff, I'm going to take great pleasure in burning it to the fucking ground.]_

"And you will get your chance, Edan. And when you do, feel free to run wild. Make sure no drug cartel member survives, or any piece of Refrain remains existing." Rouge responded in an even tone as if he wasn't telling his right hand to commit a massacre. The Scroll blipped as the lights glowed brightly for a moment. Pulling it away from his ear, he found it was a message from the Headmaster, much to his curiosity. "Have to go. Keep me updated."

 _[Aye aye, boss.]_ Rouge could practically hear the grin in Edan's voice before the call ended.

Afterwards, he opened up the message from the Headmaster. He gave a little frown as he read it aloud, "Rouge Rose. You've been asked to report to the Headmaster's Office at your earliest convenience. There is someone who wishes to speak with you." Shaking his head, he closed his Scroll and slid it away in his pocket. Someone was here to see him? But who could it be? Raven? Very much unlikely. She'd sooner slit her own throat than see Ozpin again. Qrow? Less so. He would at least let him know he was coming.

Rouge shrugged. He figured he'd soon find out. Putting his Scroll away, he left his room just in time to run into Ruby and Yang. "Hey, Rouge." the silver-eyed girl greeted with a grin. "What'cha doin'?"

"The Headmaster asked me to come to the office." he told her. "Apparently, someone wants to see me for some reason."

Yang quirked an eyebrow. "Really?" she asked, curious. "Who?"

"Don't know. It didn't say."

"Mind if we come with, then?" Ruby asked. "We're just trying to kill time before we go find Weiss and Blake at the library for Remnant: The Game!"

"I don't really know. The Headmaster only asked for me to report. He said nothing about bringing company. So for all I know, others could be uninvited and that this is a personal matter." He shrugged.

"C'mon. What's the worst about us coming along?" Yang asked.

"Alright. Just don't blame me if you two get into trouble."

"We won't...I'm sure he won't mind if we tag along."

* * *

"I apologize, but I only requested Rouge Rose to come here. I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you two to leave."

Rouge sighed. "Told you." he said as he shook his head. Yang and Ruby looked disappointed, especially when they saw the person who had asked for Rouge.

Strangely, however, the woman didn't seem the least bit annoyed or miffed that the girls had accompanied him. "Let them stay." she told Ozpin. "I wanted to meet them at a later date, but this works out quite better, actually." Ozpin seemed surprised, but otherwise nodded and allowed it. The woman then smiled as she turned to face the three siblings.

When Rouge saw her in full, he couldn't help but feel as if he had seen her somewhere before. The feeling was gnawing at the back of his head, but he just couldn't recall it.

 _'Who is she? Why did she ask to see me?'_ Several possibilities were gearing in his head. Some more realistic. Others more stretched of the truth. It was possible that she came her to see him because she was affiliated with the Black Fang somehow. Or perhaps Salem's faction and managed to learn his identity. Or simply for another reason he didn't know. Either way, the woman left him on edge. _'I know I've seen her before. But where?'_

"Hm..." The woman leaned forward, finger tapping her chin as she looked at the three. "Quite the mix-up. One resembles Raven, and the other looks like Summer." The three siblings looked at her in shock as she mentioned those names. The names of their parents. Or more accurately, Aunt and Parent for Ruby and him as Raven was Yang's birth mother. "I do hope you're not as bad as Raven. I have enough trouble dealing with one Darwinistic idiot."

"H-how do you know my mother?" Yang asked, taken aback.

"We're friends with benefits." came the response. Rouge blinked, clearly not expecting that answer. Ruby tilted her head as she was unfamiliar with that term. Glynda choked while Ozpin felt his glasses droop from his face. Yang's cheeks burned red, perfectly imitating a gaping fish. As such, the woman laughed. "Oh, you should see your face. We're acquaintances, for lack of better words. I wouldn't exactly call us friends. I can barely stand the woman. Reminds me too much of a Britannian. As for Summer Rose, I only know of her from a picture. I never met her before, though I know her reputation."

"A...Britannian?" Ruby questioned. For some reason, merely hearing that word sparked a hateful fury within Rouge.

The woman waved a hand. "Trust me, you're better off not knowing." She then walked up to Rouge, leaning down. He leaned back, finding her too close for comfort. He would admit, however, that she was quite easy on the eyes. Her features were foreign to him, very much different from anyone in Remnant he's met so far. However, at the same time, he made her feel uneasy. As if she was something he couldn't prepare for. As he tried to move away, her hand suddenly whipped out and cupped his chin, tilting his head at different angles. "Hm... Hair's a bit longer. Your cheeks are a bit on the chubby side, though your chin and nose are a bit sharper."

"What are you doing?" Rouge asked, though much to his annoyance, the woman ignored him.

"And you only have one purple eye. Not unexpected. As for the mouth..."

The odd-eyed teen frowned, now irritated. What was this woman's gain? "What exactly are you- _MMPH_?!"

Much to the shock of everyone in the room, save for the butler and Ozpin, who only had widened eyes, the woman pressed her lips against the boy's. No, pressing her lips wasn't exactly the best way to describe what Rouge found himself unwillingly engaged in. It would be more accurate to say that the woman had pried open his mouth and invaded it with her tongue.

The woman deepened the kiss, as if trying to explore his mouth with her tongue. Rouge, feeling completely violated, tried to pry himself free from her grasp. However, his body wouldn't obey him. He felt his strength crumbling beneath him before the woman pulled away, leaving behind a trail of saliva. Once she let him go, Rouge ended up stumbling, unable to find any balance before he fell into Yang's arms, who rushed when she saw him about to fall.

Licking her lips in satisfaction, the woman smirked. "A little bit rough, but otherwise better." she remarked before nodding. She then turned to Ozpin. "Thank you for indulging in my selfish request. I hope to see you again soon, Professor Ozpin." She then turned to her butler, who merely sighed at her antics. "Come along, Obis."

"Understood, Lady Cecaniah." the man said in exasperation. The woman then walked past the three, Yang shooting her a furious glare, eyes crimson while Ruby was utterly confused, looking back and forth as if she wasn't entirely sure what just happened. As he made his leave, the man bowed apologetically. "I'm terribly sorry for her behavior. Please do forgive her." With that said, he walked away, joining her in the elevator.

The room was utterly silent until Ruby broke it with an innocent question: "...does this mean Rouge has a girlfriend, now?"

* * *

"Was that entirely necessary, Lady Cecaniah?" Obis Daen inquired with a troubled look. "I understand he's related to the young man you hold a fancy for, but kissing him? In front of the Headmaster of Beacon and his own sisters no less?"

"It's been so long since I've seen Lelouch. I could not pass up the chance to surprise him." the woman responded with a fond smile. "He hasn't changed much. Yes, though he's nothing but a child now, he hasn't changed. Not at all." Obis tilted his head curiously, wondering what his mistress could have meant. "Don't worry, Obis." she waved off his concerns. "I won't do anything reckless. By the way, in regards to our project with the Schnee Dust Company?"

Obis sighed. "Unfortunately, Sir Schnee is quite stubborn it seems." he said regretfully. "He's unwilling to enter a partnership, even after I showed him the basic premise. He's completely devoted to Dust resources rather than focusing on the bigger picture."

"I see. Well, it's not as if it truly matters. The stubborn old fool will experience the folly of his ways one way or another." Cecaniah shrugged as they continued down the hall. "If he wants to focus on a dwindling and limited power source, then he will only fail when it runs out. By the way, how goes our other project?"

Obis smiled. "Rather well. It should be completed within the month. Of course, the question is whether or not our dear fellows will be able to utilize it. I imagine it will be quite the shock once it is unveiled to the world. Especially to the Atlesian Military, considering that the Paladin has entered the prototype stage."

"I believe heads will be rolling, Obis." the woman giggled. "As Lelouch once told me, the world is destined for chaos. Who better to cause chaos than a man of miracle?"

"You hold quite a bit of faith in him, Lady Cecaniah."

"But of course. He and I are bound by a contract." the woman responded before she grinned. "Also, I've told you before, Obis..."

"...call me C.C."

* * *

 **Recursion...END**

* * *

 _"_ _The future depends on what we do in the present." -Mahatma Gandhi_


	2. Chapter 2

**Ruby: Yay! He's back after fighting an ulcer! Now we can finally update!**

 **Weiss: But isn't he going to head off college again in August? That's less than a month away now.**

 **Blake: Then that just means he'll have to work in overdrive to update what he can. Personally, I'm just happy that chapter 2 was released.**

 **Ruby: Yeah! What Blake said!**

 **Yang: Shush! Quiet girls! The chapter's about to start! Also, quick! Grab the popcorn!**

 _"Yes, from this day, from this moment forward, the world belongs to me!" -Lelouch vi Britannia_

* * *

 **RWBY: Black Rebellion**

* * *

"Who the hell was that?!"

Shortly after Cecaniah Lamperouge left and after Ruby's seemingly innocent question, not quite understanding the full implications of such an action, Yang had flown into an unsettling anger that couldn't be quelled. Before long, she found herself growling and snarling as she paced around the room. Despite their best attempts, the rest of Team RWBY was left slightly terrified and confused by her anger. Not that it was unwarranted. She did just witness some random stranger kiss her brother. More than that, she robbed his FIRST KISS.

"Okay, first off, can you please calm down?" Weiss asked, trying to remain as calm as possible. "And secondly, what has you so angry?"

"What's got me so angry?" Yang scoffed. "Why am I angry, you ask? Oh, I don't know! How 'bout the fact that some chick just showed up and kissed my brother on the lips, straight out of nowhere! No, more than that, she outright gave him an Atlas Kiss!"

Blake blushed. "...when you say Atlas Kiss, do you mean she-"

"Put her tongue in his mouth? Yes!"

Ruby recoiled. "Wait, she put her tongue in his mouth? Ew, gross."

"I know!"

"Ruby, an Atlas Kiss is usually meant for couples who are intimidate with each other." Weiss explained to her leader. "Mostly married couples."

"O~h..." Ruby nodded, letting out an "ah" of understanding before she looked quite puzzled and tilted her head. "So, does that mean she's Rouge's wifey now? He's not 18 yet! And we're not in Mistral!"

"What does being in Mistral have to do with it?!"

"Mistral has lower ages for legal, eligible marriage." Blake answered.

"Well, that's beside the point! She ruined Rouge's innocence!"

 _'If only you knew...'_ Blake frowned solemnly. Their brother wasn't as innocent as they believed. Not with the blood on his hands. Still, she had to admit, this conversation really piqued her interest. Aside from Yang's ranting, it sounded like this woman was someone who had a meeting with Ozpin, meaning she was either a close member of his inner circle, like all important political figures did, or there was a business matter to discuss.

Weiss appeared to be thinking the same thing as she held a hand to her chin. "Okay, look. Calm down. If we tell us about her, we can learn who she is and maybe, just maybe, you can give her a good scolding." Blake mentally applauded the heiress for her thinking. While she sincerely doubted Yang would be able to actually do what she wanted, she did get to satiate her own curiosity. Plus, it would give Yang a good idea who exactly stole her beloved little brother's 'chastity.'

...good god that just sounded so wrong.

Yang frowned heavily, but sighed and began. "She looked like a bombshell. Like a supermodel or something. Long green hair, gold eyes. She wore this really expensive looking robe. It looked kind of like the one Blake has, but really more intricate. What do you call it? A kimono or something? I think her butler called her Cecaniah or something?"

Weiss froze. "...Cecaniah?" she said slowly. "As in, Cecaniah Lamperouge?"

Yang's eyes widened. "Wait! You actually know her?!"

What Weiss said next was...surprising, to say the least.

 _"YOU MET CECANIAH LAMPEROUGE AND YOU'RE COMPLAINING HOW SHE STOLE ROUGE'S FIRST KISS?!"_

"What?! Why?! Who is she?!"

"Who is she?...WHO IS SHE?!" Weiss looked positively scandalized. More than that, she looked as if she had just been told Atlas and the Schnee Dust Company no longer existed. "Have you dunces been living under a rock?! She's the CEO of the most technologically advanced corporation on Remnant!" she practically screamed in Yang's face. "More than that, she's absolutely RICH! And she's involved in _everything_! Medicine! Technology! Energy propellant! Resources! Minerals! Agriculture! And the company's only been around for three years! THREE! And don't even get me started on how many stock hold sharings she's gotten over the years! Almost every other minor company in any of the Kingdoms is a subsidiary group under the employ of the Lamperouge Corporation! They're practically the biggest company in all of Remnant! Heck, some people think they're even bigger than the Schnee Dust Coproration, which they are, mind you, in terms of business and corporate workforce and whatnot! They're also noteoworthy for employing not only humans, but Faunus as well! And, and-"

"Weiss." Blake said.

"What?!"

"...breathe. You are starting to go red in the face." she advised. From how fast Weiss was talking, she was sure the poor girl would have passed out, considering she was growing blue in the face. Still, the Faunus couldn't help but admit that she was quite amused. "And from the way you were talking so passionately about this Lamperouge woman, I'm guessing you're a fan?"

"Of course not! I just make it a habit to keep and eye on rival companies." She huffed.

However, as she said that, there was a deep blush on her face. Naturally, no one was convinced that she wasn't a fan. It was blatantly obvious. "Okay, so she's a big shot of a company." Yang huffed. "But what can you tell us about the woman herself? Is she into little kids or something?"

"No. This is a first time I'm hearing this. Are you sure your eyes weren't just playing tricks on you?"

"Try asking that to my still catatonic brother." Yang deadpanned. "And just answer the damn question."

Weiss huffed. "Despite her accolades, not much is truly known about Cecaniah Lamperouge's personal life. What little is known is that she can be quite eccentric. And that she's made several donations to pretty much every pizza shop on the planet. Hell, some even go on to say that she pours more money into her own pizza store brand chain than anything else."

That...wasn't what any of them were expecting. In all honesty, Ruby felt vastly confused. All she really got out of this whole thing was that Rouge's "wife" was some big time corporate big shot who did pretty much everything, but had some major obsession towards pizza or something. Actually, now that she thought about it, pizza sounded really good right about now.

"Seriously? That's it?!" Yang groaned. "Ugh!"

Blake rolled her eyes. "Instead of trying to figure out how you can ruin a CEO's life, why don't you check on Rouge?" she suggested as she flipped through her book. "I imagine being assaulted like that did quite a bit."

* * *

Naturally, though, Blake didn't actually mean that. And Yang was exaggerating. Rouge was far from catatonic. He was currently in the restroom, lathering his face in ice cold water. As he pulled his head up, he stared at his reflection in the mirror. In the mirror was the same face he's always had for the last fifteen years, yet something felt different about it now. Something off. Wrong, somehow. He wasn't entirely sure about the reason why, but he ignored it for now and focused on the matter that was troubling him.

Namely, the woman who kissed him straight out of the blue.

"Damned witch." he cursed, unsure why that was the first thing that came out of his mouth, yet he found it surprisingly fitting. "Who in the hell kisses a kid? Who even was she?"

And why did she look so familiar to him? Had they met somewhere before? But that's impossible. While he knew of who Cecaniah Lamperouge was, he knew for a fact that he did not meet her in person until now.

But now that he thought about it, why did that name, Lamperouge, seem so damned familiar? Is wasn't because of the company's name. Why did it feel like it's supposed to have some personal meaning to him?!

Scowling, Rouge furiously shook his head. This was getting him nowhere. The last thing he needed was to be bothered by something as trivial as this. Since when did his first kiss actually mean anything? Wiping down his face with a towel, Rouge left the bathroom and took out his Scroll, about to call Edan for any potential updates before the door to his room suddenly swung open, revealing a concerned looking Yang.

"Have you not heard of knocking?"

"Heard of it. But when it comes to concern over my brother, privacy is overruled."

The heterochromatic boy sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. Shaking his head, he slipped his Scroll back into his pocket, making a mental note to call his comrade at a later date. "Well, since you're so keen on breaking and entering, what's the matter?"

"She's still upset that Lamperouge lady kissed you." Ruby piped up, her head appearing around her torso. "By the way, speaking about that, does that mean she's your girfriend or wife now?"

...okay, how in the world did Ruby come to that conclusion? Already, the onset of a headache was quickly approaching. "No, it doesn't." Rouge told her flatly. "To be honest, I don't know why the CEO of a large company decided to kiss me, and neither do I care much for it." He moved over to his bed, grabbing Wilted Requiem. "Actually, Ruby, you came at a perfect time. Need your opinion on this." He figured this would be the best way to alleviate his headache, and keep his mind off Cecaniah's actions. He didn't even need to turn around to face Ruby when he found his sister blitzing over next to him in a second, eyes dazzling. "I managed to fix that module with the Rail Gun, so it's operable. My only problem now is if it'll short circuit or overheat."

"Still think you went overboard with that, but hey! Anything for my precious little bro!" Ruby grinned before she examined Wilted Requiem thoroughly. "Wow, you made repairs on your own?!"

He grinned. "Well, I did learn from the best."

"You know it!" Ruby smiled, taking pride in the compliment. She then went to inspect the alterations to the weapon, taking note of anything that could be wrong. After a few minutes, she conveyed her verdict. "Well, I can't say it's a horrible job." she told her brother, who listened intently. "The damper mod is pretty advanced, so there's no chance of Wilted overheating. But I think you should think about getting a few upgraded parts, like a C6 Adapter and a B-46-KG Modifier. If you use this puppy one too many times, then it'll break into a thousand tiny little pieces!" After saying this, Ruby gave her twin a glare. "And so help me, little brother, if you break the sweetheart I spent my heart and soul making for you, I will hurt you."

Off to the side, Yang snickered. "With what? Your baby fists?" she asked with a small smile. "Ruby, in case you forgot, you totally suck at hand-to-hand. Even Rouge is better than you, and he's got way less stamina!"

"Hey!" Both twins shouted in indignation from the verbal jabs.

"It's he truth, you know. Ruby, you can't fight unarmed to save her life, and Rouge, you just don't last."

Ruby puffed her cheeks. "Oh shut up!"

* * *

Night had fallen upon the Kingdom of Vale, the cracked moon hanging overhead. Normally, Roman would just be having the time of his life, taking his time to enjoy life by stealing from some poor schmo or taking a drag of his very fine and very expensive cigars, with Neo usually in arms reach of him, doing something that Neo loved. More often than not, it was eating ice cream or torturing some poor bastard.

Tonight, though, Roman wasn't in a good mood. Far from it, in fact. The reason for this?

Cinder Fall and her two little poodles, one of which was giving him a condescending and mocking grin. "I hear Tukson has skipped town." Cinder remarked with a dry expression, sitting on a crate of Dust and weapons with her hands on her lap, smoldering eyes locked firmly on him. He squirmed beneath it, but did his best to muster a glare. "Correct me if I'm wrong, Roman, but...didn't I specifically ask you to handle that?"

"Well, excuse me for doing the job you told me to do." Roman shot back in defiance, sweeping his arm around the entire warehouse as he gestured to every single crate behind him. "I've got Vale pretty much flat broke on Dust, and prices for the stuff are going through the roof as we speak. And as for us, we've got so much of it that, quite frankly, I don't know where the hell to put it all. So, I'm sorry if I couldn't find the time to take care of one measly little rat while I was busy working, princess."

Emerald scowled. "Don't you talk to Cinder like-"

"Emerald." Cinder warned. "What have I said about speaking out of turn?"

"Sorry, ma'am." Emerald immediately fell silent.

"Good. Now then..." she turned back to Roman, her eyes smoldering...literally. "Because of your negligence, we have a potential leak in information that is well on his way to Vacuo by now."

"Your problem, not mine." Roman refuted. "And why are you so worried? Tukson was literally nothing more than a grunt! We barely told him anything about the big plans for the future. At best, he'll only give up a few bases and key figures, but aside from that, your little schemes haven't changed." Taking the moment to light his cigar, he gave Cinder a small glare. "Don't forget, Mrs. Johnson. The only reason I'm even working with you is because its either this, or being sent off to the chopping block inside an Atlas Sector Prison. Sure, they banned the Death Penalty, but that don't mean you ain't likely to get the shit kicked out of you and made into someone's bitch."

"And don't you forget, Roman...that we're far worse than _any_ punishment Atlas can deliver." Of that, he didn't doubt. Roman adjusted his bowler cap and gave Cinder a small glare. He wasn't scared of the woman, but damn if she wasn't unnerving. Something about her just felt so...unnatural. Wrong. Whatever it was, he didn't like it. "Now, on to another matter..." Cinder changed the subject, shifting her legs. He would have found it to be beautiful, and a good chance to see what was underneath that red dress, but when he remembered that said legs and forbidden sight belonged to Cinder he promptly kept his eyes away. "Have you learned anything new in regards to the Black Fang and their leader?"

"What am I, your own personal gofer?" Roman scoffed before rolling his shoulders. "They've only been around for a year, and what happened last month was their first big debut. Since then, they've been taking down corrupt government officials and companies left and right. Hell, they've even started taking out some of the crime syndicates! Not that I mind that. Less competition. That, and a lot of those bastards deserved every second of it. There's a fine line between common criminals, those with flair, and human trafficking..."

Mercury raised an eyebrow. "So, what? You're a fan of them now?"

"Well, they're doing a hell of a lot better than you, aren't they?" Roman shot back with a smirk, causing the silver-haired teen to scowl. "Oh, I'm sorry, did I touch a nerve there, kid?"

"Watch it..." The gray haired teen growled.

Cinder immediately stopped any fight from brewing, holding up a hand in which flames began to dance around. "Boys." she said coldly. "Don't fight."

Both males wisely backed off. They weren't eager to incur the wrath of a woman...especially if that woman is Cinder. "Y-yes, Cinder..." Mercury weakly backed away, fully aware of what would happen if he disobeyed her. Roman merely turned away and whistled innocently.

Shaking her head, the woman folded her arms beneath her breasts. "At any rate, Roman, you've done enough work with collecting Dust supplies. For now, just continue your investigation into the Black Fang. In the meantime, however..." She smiled thinly as she handed him a small slip of paper with writing scribbled on it. "Head to these coordinates."

Roman raised an eyebrow. "Coordinates?" he asked in confusion.

"We're proceeding with Phase 2."

* * *

Sneaking out of her room hadn't been an easy affair, especially since Yang had been suspicious of her activities as of lately. Thankfully, Blake was able to sneak out by offering her team some tea, laced with a few drugs. Rouge had them prepared, in case something like this had happened. She did feel back, drugging her friends. She hated lying to them like this. But at the same time, she doubted that she could tell them, especially Weiss, that she was working for a "terrorist." It took about two hours for the drug to finally take effect, but Blake was able to sneak out of her room without suspicion.

Now inside the base of operations for the Black Fang, the group who had been making waves all across Remnant, she saw that quite a few members were running around, hurrying to finish their respective tasks. They had just recently returned from a mission, stealing supplies from another White Fang base.

Upon that thought, Blake's mind raced back to her time with Adam. Even now, she still could hardly believe it. Adam had been working for the Black Fang, a group that was made up of both humans and Faunus, the former of which he despised with a passion. She could only imagine what the reaction would be like, if people discovered Adam's true allegiances.

 _'I wonder what Sienna thinks of the Black Fang?_ ' Blake wondered curiously. Then another, more somber thought, crossed her mind. _'What does Dad think about the Black Fang...'_

She hadn't bothered to get in contact with her parents ever since they left the White Fang. She felt guilty. She called them cowards for abandoning their cause. But that was before she understood why they left. The White Fang had changed,many she was simply too passionate and blind to realize this fact until it was too late. She wanted to speak with them again for so long, but what would she say? What would they say? Before she could delve on it further, a familiar voice broke her from her thoughts.

"What's up kitty cat?"

She turned around to find Edan Flaemis, the so-called Blue Devil, approaching behind her with a grin. She gave him a small glare, turning to face him. "I told you not to call me that." she said with a hiss.

"Ah, but where would be the fun in that?" Edan smirked. "Besides, it's quite cute to see you all riled up."

Blake's cheeks flushed, but she managed to wipe the look and embarrassment from her face before he noticed it. "...where's Zero?"

"Down there, somewhere. Inspecting supplies and checking to see if everything's in working order. The boss man is meticulous about this sort of thing, you know." he replied, shrugging his shoulders. "So, what's on your mind? No, wait. Let me guess. You're thinking about tall, dark, broody and horny!"

For a moment, Blake thought Edan was Yang in disguise. It was either that, or she had been reading her novels for too long. "If you mean Adam, then yes. Partially." Blake confessed. "If you don't mind me asking, Edan... How did you convince Adam to join?"

"Well, truth be told, I didn't do anything. If it were me, I would've cut the guy down when we first met. He's one of the few people who can match me in a fight. No. No, all the credit for getting Piece to join was all thanks to our glorious leader. After all, they were friends from childhood."

The Cat Faunus choked. "W-what?!"

"Oh, you didn't know?" Edan looked surprised. "Yeah. From what Boss told me, he and Adam used to be friends. They fell out of touch when he and his folks left Menagerie when vacation time was over, though. Apparently, they bonded when some shitty brat called Cyan tried kicking the shit out of them."

"That's because she was arrogant enough to see a small, defenseless human as an easy target." A authoritative voice cut in. Both teens turned to see Zero approach. "She was nothing more than a low-rate bully. Adam and I enjoyed putting her in her place."

"Yo, Leader!" Edan greeted, raising his hand. "Finished inspection already?"

Zero nodded. "Everything appears to be in order. I see you've returned earlier than expected."

"Ah, please. Taking care of that little ring of misfits was easy." the Blue Devil shrugged. "Unfortunately, we didn't get any clues about where they were getting Refrain from. They were obviously connected to that Verid chick, but other than that, we still don't have nearly enough information. Still, I've got Hue and Goe on the information wheel."

"Excellent. In that case, you and Belladonna will come with me." The two blinked in surprise, looking at each other before turning back to the masked man. "We received an anonymous message. Someone apparently wants to speak with us about an important matter."

Blake frowned. "Do you have any idea who it could be?"

"Unfortunately, no. From what little I was able to understand, they appear to be someone of influence, or at the very least with connections." Zero told her. "They're offering resources. Dust, information, supplies, weapons and so on. As well as something else. Something special, as they put it."

"And let me guess, you want us there in case things go south, am I right?" Edan asked. Zero nodded. "Did they tell you where to meet them at?"

"Yes. They want to meet at the old industrial district in the Old Warren."

Blake blinked rapidly. "The Old Warren?" she asked, incredulous. "You mean _Rat City_?"

"You know of it?"

"I've heard of it. Years before the Great War was even thought of happening, Vale was the victim of a large-scale plague. It got so bad that they had section off a portion of the kingdom to house the sick." she answered grimly, having heard more than a few stories about the place. Her father had told her of how dark times had been in the old era. The way he made it sound made her think that times had been terrible, long before the Great War began. "Unfortunately, fighting had broken out inside the Old Warren. Before long, people were dying of bullets and violence more than of disease. When a cure was manufactured and admistered to what little was left of the people inside the Warren, the old sector was abandoned. Now its the perfect place for criminals and lowlifes to hide out. Underhanded dealings, kidnappings, underground criminal organizations... When word about such things started to circulate, people started to call the Old Warren Rat City. The underbelly of criminal activity, no better than Mistral."

Beneath the mask, Zero smiled. "Very good. You're well informed." he praised. "The old industrial district was one of the few places in the Old Warren that wasn't seriously damaged. It's practically untouched. Not only that, but its considered to be neutral ground by all the criminal syndicates in Rat City, given how much business takes place there. If anything, it's only logical for our mysterious messenger to choose this place."

"Still smells fishy." Edan said with a frown. "Should I bring some of my guys along, just in case things go south?"

"Do you even need to ask?"

* * *

Before long, Zero and his entourage drew near the meeting place in Rat City. As previously described, the city itself was run down and in shambles. Rubble was strewn about and buildings were in a dilapidated state. Every so often there was a ragged straggler eyeing their group, but did no more than that.

Not since one of them grew bold and tried to pickpocket one of the masked officers, only to get broken fingers in turn.

Edan had brought a few of his subordinates in case the situation turned dicey. They were well trained fighters that served as Zero's guard squad of sorts with Edan as the commander. They were all wary and had their weapons within arms reach. Blake was filled with trepidation. She was unsure about this group wanting to meet with them. The offer seemed too good to be true, especially toward a group of 'terrorists' who debuted only recently.

She sincerely hoped that the meeting wouldn't end up in combat.

"We're here." Zero announced.

The group had arrived in the outskirts of the Old Warren. In front of them was an old building, rotting and decaying to the point where parts of it had already begun to crumble and break apart. Blake winced when she saw the graffiti that had been painted on the concrete walls, among which was the old White Fang insignia, which had been marked out with a red "X". A reminder that, despite her father's best attempts at a peaceful approach, there had been opposition. She just didn't know she would find the wounds back then here, in a place that was little more than a cesspool of criminal activity.

Then again, weren't the White Fang criminals now?

Edan looked around cautiously, a hand going to the hilt of his sword attached to his hip. "Don't see anyone around." he remarked with distrust. "And there are plenty of spots for a sniper to hide out. This reeks of being a trap."

Zero said nothing, instead surveying the area. Then he tilted his head up, noticing something approaching in the distance. Blake's second pair of ears twitched as a sound registered to her. "That sounds like an engine." she noted, looking forward. A pair of lights slowly approached them at a decent speed, accompanied by a familiar sound. "A car?"

As it came closer, Blake's assumptions were proven true. More than that, the car was a limousine. Edan whistled in appreciation, especially when he took notice of the model car. Once it was but a few feet away, the limo parked right in front of them and the lights shut off. Moments later, the driver seat door opened, allowing a figure to step out. It was a man with dark purple hair and eyes, dressed in a fine black suit with a black bowtie around the collar of his shirt. Zero stiffened, an action noticed by both Blake and Edan.

"Terribly sorry for the delay." the man apologized as he bowed politely. "Please wait a moment." He proceeded to walk over to the back of the car, opening the door. "Lady C.C. They're all present."

"Wonderful."

Blake's jaw dropped when a beautiful woman, recognizable by her long flowing green hair and intricate kimono, stepped out from the limo. The Black Fang also shared the same sentiments, hardly able to believe who it was that was standing in front of them. Edan rubbed his eyes, making sure that he wasn't hallucinating or seeing things before looking back at the woman and her apparent butler.

"...holy shit." he whispered. "Holy _fucking_ shit."

Blake swallowed the lump in her throat. "This... This has to be some kind of joke." she said. "There's no way _she's_ the one who sent the message."

"I must admit, I was expecting someone a bit...taller." Cecaniah Lamperouge said with a grin as she approached. "It's been a long time since we last saw each other, Zero."

"...I'm sorry. I don't think we've met." Zero said after a moment. "I would have remembered meeting the infamous corporate figure who's been a thorn in Jaqcues Schnee's side."

C.C. giggled in amusement. "Indeed. My apologies. I just felt that we had met some time ago. Must've been my imagination."

"Were you the one who sent the message?"

"Correct. Please, call me C.C."

Zero tilted his head. "C.C.?"

"Her preferred alias and nickname." the butler said before he bowed politely to Zero. "My name is Obis Daen, her trusted butler and plaything. It's a pleasure to meet you all."

Blake sweatdropped. "P-plaything?" she asked, daring not to ask the implications of such a statement.

Unfortunately, Edan had no such reservations. "You mean your her fuck buddy?" he asked bluntly, causing her to blush and splutter. The other Black Fang soldiers shifted uncomfortably. By the way Zero sighed and shook his head, it was clear he was also exasperated by the Blue Devil's blunt attitude.

Neither of the two people before them looked even the least bit ashamed or disturbed or thrown off guard by his statement. "Oh no." Obis waved a hand. "By plaything, I mean she toys with me constantly, having me run errands for her, taking the brunt of her abuse, handling paperwork or being the subject to her more recent ventures of experiments."

"...what?"

"It's a long story, one of which I'm afraid I don't have any time to explain. After all, we called you all here for the purpose of discussing a business venture, no?" Obis asked before he gestured to the building. "Please, follow me."

The mad led the way inside, with the rest of the officers following to forget the awkward atmosphere. C.C., Zero, Blake, and Edan remained behind with the latter three staring at the green haired woman. "Shall we proceed lady and gentlemen?" She grinned.

Before any of them could get a response, she turned on her heel and entered the rotting building. "...she has to be the most confusing woman on the face of this planet." Edan said after a moment. "And that is saying something."

"Are we sure we can trust her?" Blake asked. "What if it's a trap?"

"No, I don't think that is the case." Zero said. His subordinates looked at him in confusion. "Call it a hunch, but... Something tells me she didn't bring us all the way out here just to waste our time with jokes. Just to be on the side of caution, however, we should be ready for anything."

* * *

Shortly after discussing their plans, Zero and the Black Fang followed C.C. and Obis. The butler led them down a series of corridors before reaching several flight of stairs, proceeding further down. "Where exactly is this place?" one Black Fang soldier asked as they made their way down. "We're way too far down."

"Before the outbreak several years ago, this was once a manufacturing plant." Obis explained. "It has been out of commission for the last several decades, though that is not to see it hasn't been completely been made useless. As a matter of fact, it has several underground research facilities. It was also here that the first vaccines used to cure the plague that ravaged Vale were created, among other things."

Blake, surprised, asked the man. "The cure for the plague was made inside Rat City? While it was under quarantine?"

"The contribution of Atlas and other minor organizations in Vale, before the Kingdoms went at each others' throats." C.C. said with a grin. "Recently, however, we've been using it for our own purposes. Out of curiosity, do you know about General Ironwood's newest toys?"

"I assume you're referring to the Altesian Knights and the Paladin that are scheduled to be made operational within the end of the year."

"Bingo! Give the man a coconut."

"Unfortunately, we don't have any coconuts." Obis remarked dryly. "However, might I offer something else as compensation?"

The group eventually stopped in front of a metal door. To the left side was a small terminal. Digging into his breast pocket, Obis took out a thin plastic card, presenting it in front of the terminal. The terminal lit up, scanning the card before it released a series of beeps. The doors then slid open, pulling themselves back and allowing C.C. and the Black Fang to enter. With a grandiose bow, the lime-haired woman gestured for them to enter. Zero narrowed his eyes at her, wondering what kind of trap was waiting for them before he stepped inside.

In the next second, Edan cried. "HOLY SHIT!"

He and everyone else in his squad looked on in awe. Lined up along the walls were tall, humanoid robots plated in thick metal and outfitted with rifles and some form of melee weapons. They were tall, approximately as tall as the Atlesian Paladins that had yet to publicly debut. They also had large pods on their backs composed of thick metal plates. On their feet were wheels and treads. Mounted on their shoulders were grappling hooks of some sort.

"What..." Blake gasped, breathless. "What are these? P-Paladins?!"

C.C. scoffed. "Please. Don't compare those scrubs to these." she said before she gave a strange smile, opening the fan in her hand. "Admittedly, they're based on the machines I'm familiar with, but we've had to make do with a few modifications. The power source was also a problem, but we managed to solve it with large quantities of Lightning Dust crystals."

"The Knightmare Frame." Obis revealed with a grand smile. "Automatous mobile warfare machines, capable of traversing any sort of terrain. Armed with titanium plated anchors, capable of shooting up to thirty feet and able to pierce through the thickest armor, and 250 cm long Stun Tonfas, designed for melee combat. For traversal, the Land Spinners are equipped with an advanced hydraulic system and multi-directional gyro spheres. In terms of armor plating, they are equipped with fifteen meter long grade 5 titanium and pure platinum steel. As for combat equipment, each unit is armed with the standard KB Mortinar Assault Rifle, capable of firing thirty rounds per second. Ammunition consists of 34mm Fire Dust coated shells with a Iron coating and hollow-point C4 tips."

For the longest while, the Black Fang was utterly stunned into silence, staring at the machines before them in utter disbelief and shock. Zero, in particular, was frozen stiff, gazing upon the machines with a strange sense of familiarity and dread. Blake could scarcely believe what lay before her. The sheer thought of these machines out on the battlefield, all armed with such specifications... They were the ultimate weapon. She couldn't help but shudder, fearing what could happen if weapons such as these would become common place and used against other Kingdoms. If even one Kingdom had these in their infantry, they could easily conquer Remnant. On a more brighter note, Blake could imagine the look on Ruby's face if she were to see one before demanding to know everything there was to know about them: from how they were built to what kind of equipment they could be outfitted with.

Edan merely stared at the Knightmare Frames, drool falling from the corner of his mouth. "...somebody pinch me. Please. Anybody. I think I'm dreaming."

"The public isn't aware that the Lamperouge Corporation created these machines." C.C. revealed to Zero as he turned to her, no doubt locking eyes with her. The idea of it made her grin. "In fact, we're more than happy to lend the Black Fang the Knightmares, along with information on every corrupt agency, corporation, industry and politician in all of Remnant, as well as supplies, weaponry and intelligence."

"A-are you for real?" Blake gawked at the woman as if she was mad. "You're giving this to us?"

"But of course. You are the self-proclaimed knights of justice, aren't you?"

Blake and Edan looked at Zero, who dipped his head in thought. Several moments passed while thoughts danced in the masked man's head before he looked back at C.C. "...who are you _really_ , Cecaniah Lamperouge?" he asked quietly. "No person on this earth could possibly have the knowledge of creating these machines, much less make a corporation in so short amount of time. Not without underhanded dealing and corporate sabatoge, just to name a few."

C.C. chuckled. "I'm merely an old woman who's interested in seeing just how far the Man of Miracles can go." she replied easily. "However, I should mention that this isn't for free."

Edan clicked his tongue. "I should have figured..." he groaned in disappointment. "So, what do you want? Money? Got somebody you want us to off? Expose a douchebag? Rob a bank?"

"On the contrary. There's someone I want you to find for me." C.C. told them, folding her arms. "He's someone quite important to me. A long time ago, he made me a promise. However, the bastard didn't fulfill his end of the bargain. In exchange for these resources, I want you to find this man and bring him back to me."

"And what will you do once we retrieve this man?" Blake asked.

"Give him a piece of my mind." C.C. deadpanned before she turned to Zero. "So, what do you say, Zero? Do we have a deal?"

The masked man took a moment to think. All of this offered in exchange for finding one person who owes her? It seemed too good to be true. However, he did not know what person C.C. Was searching for. For all they knew, it could be someone who publicly didn't exist.

His rationality should've led him to turn down the offer, but not only were the benefits so enticing, but something else was compelling him to accept.

So he made his decision.

"...we accept your terms." Zero answered. "Who is it that you want us to find?"

If anything, the woman's smile grew even more. She slipped her hand into the sleeve of her kimono, pulling out a picture before she handed it to Zero. Blake peered over his shoulder as he looked at the photograph, only for her eyes to widen and her breath to be snatched away. The person in the photo was around the same age as the first year students of Beacon, bearing chin-length raven black hair and a face that would make a lesser woman swoon, shaped with such regality one could mistake him for a figure of royalty by look alone. His most striking feature were his eyes: deep, rich violet eyes.

 _The spitting image of who Zero was beneath his mask._

"A troublesome boy by the name of Lelouch."

* * *

 **The Fated Meeting...END**

* * *

 _"There is no death, only a change of worlds." Native American Proverb_


	3. Chapter 3

**Edan: Hey, it's finally here! And it's about freaking time! People were waiting to see me in action!**

 **Ruby: I know! Especially since there's what's planned this chapter! oooh, I'm so excited!**

 **Adam: Down, girl.**

 **Yang: Still, he's a little late, isn't he?**

 **Weiss: Well, he did ask everyone what kind of story he should work on once he returned from his long break. I assume that's why.**

 **Ruby: Really? Oh, that's right! Actually, what story won anyway?**

 **Yang: Um, hold on... No, no, not that one. Oh, here it is! "Chaldea in Remnant!"**

 **Blake: Chaldea? What's that?**

 **Edan: Who cares? The chapter's about to start! Quick! Grab the popcorn!**

 _"False tears brings pain to those around you. A false smile brings pain to one self." -C.C._

* * *

 **RWBY: Black Rebellion**

* * *

"Lelouch...Lamperouge?"

The name rolled off of Rouge's tongue with terrifying ease. His voice was tight while his head was throbbing, staring at the picture. What the hell was this? Some kind of sick joke? That was his face, wasn't it? But, why did he look older? Why didn't have a silver eye? No, this wasn't him. This was someone else, right? Dammit, why was his head hurting so much?

Either ignorant to his pain or uncaring of it, or playing along with the lie he was giving to his subordinates, C.C. nodded. "Yes. He was a rather brilliant young man, but he disappeared some time ago. I've been looking for him for the last few odd years or so."

"Huh..." Edan remarked, taking the picture from Rouge as he looked at it. "He kinda looks like my buddy Rouge."

 _'Kind of looks like him?'_ Blake wanted to hiss. _'More like exactly! Who in the hell even is this Lelouch person? No, the real question is, who in the hell is Cecaniah Lamperouge?!'_

The very question has been in her mind ever since Rouge brought her up. As far as she knew, Cecaniah Lamperouge was a well known corporate figure. She had no idea she delved in projects like the ones around her.

And just why is she hiring them to search for this Rouge look-alike? Who even was this person? And why was he so important? "Why..." she swallowed a dry lump in her throat as she looked at CC with some mixed expressions. Confusion, agitation, etc. "Why exactly are you looking for him? Who is this person? If-if you don't mind me asking?"

"Not at all." The woman responded with an amused smirk. "As for the reason...you could say that he's quite precious to me. But more importantly, he still needs to fulfill his end of a little deal we have."

"Deal? What, he owe you something?"

"Something along those lines." CC shrugged her shoulders before leveling a stare at Rouge. "What do you say, Zero? Machines that can easily rival an Atlesian Paladin, in exchange for looking for a powerless little child...I find that to be quite the bargain, wouldn't you agree?"

Zero stood silent for a moment, pondering the offer in his mind as he shoved the headache aside. Here he was being given a bountiful offer for bolstered manpower and information, all for the favor of searching for his look-alike? It seemed too good to be true. Yet the nagging feeling remained in his mind.

However, they may not come across another deal like this again with so little of a cost.

The answer was a no-brainer.

"...we have a deal." Rouge shook her hand, fingers coiling around hers. There was a jolt running through his body as he did so, a shiver running down his spine. Once she loosened her grip, he hastily pulled his hand away from her, much to her amusement. "What can you tell us about him? Specifically his character and his last known location?"

"His last known location is rather hard to pin-point, I'm afraid." Obis informed the masked revolutionary. "As far as the world is concerned, Lelouch Lamperouge died after he was assassinated. His existence was primarily kept secret from the rest of the world, but we're quite certain he survived. Following the assassination attempt, he went into hiding and has been constantly on the move. We've only recently learned, however, that he appeared here in Vale."

"And as for his character, he's something of a prideful idiot." C.C. continued with a droll while she waved her hand about. "He has a poor habit of underestimating his opponents, but you'd be damned to find a more skilled tactician. He also has something of a sister complex." A giggle escaped her as the Black Fang gave her a blank stare. "I'd recommend not saying it to his face, however. He's quite touchy about it. On a more personal note, he's quite the chess player."

Zero raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "Oh?"

"As far as I know, the only person who he was never able to beat was his brother. Aside from that, he's a magnificent chess player and has an undefeated streak. He also had a bad habit of gambling against though high up in power, playing on their idiotic pride to earn a hefty sum of money, just to keep him quiet."

Blake rolled her eyes. "Sounds like him and Zero would get along splendidly, then." she said, earning a curious look from the man himself.

Underneath the mask, Rouge let out a silent groan. He had been hoping that Yang hadn't caught on to one of the actual reasons he frequented Junior's bar. It was rather easy, to be perfectly frank. For a bunch of so called hardcore mobsters, they were horrible gamblers. Honestly, the only person who was of any real skill was a certain mafiaso that had been earning his interest as of late, but aside from that, everyone else was far too easy to swindle.

From the look on C.C.'s face, she seemed to agree with Blake. "Quite." she hummed as she retracted her fan and slid it back into her kimono. "I look forward to our continued partnership, Zero. Don't be a stranger, now~"

With a small bow, the woman turned on her heel to leave with her butler tailing behind her. Soon they were out of sight, and the Black Fang were left with their new weapons.

"...I call dibs on that one!" Edan pointed at the Knightmare that caught his fancy.

A subordinate shook his head in exasperation. "Of course you would. It has horns, for Dust's sake."

* * *

The following morning, while classes were underway (Port's, much to his slight dismay. His only saving grace was that the man paid more attention to his own voice than to his own students), Rouge had taken the moment to contact his various sources to investigate this "Lelouch Lamperouge."

It hadn't even been ten minutes, and he was already growing slightly agitated by the lack of information. Aside from what Cecaniah Lamperouge provided for them, there was very little about his apparent look alike. That was still bothering. Just why did Lelouch Lamperouge resemble him so much? Surely, he couldn't have had an older brother that his father had neglected to tell him he, Ruby and Yang had, could he? He would have told them if that had been the case.

 _'And both of his eyes are purple.'_ Rouge noted as he stared at the photo. _'Only my right eye is purple. Actually, now that I think about it...no one from Dad's side of the family has purple eyes. My silver eye is from mother, but...'_ Gingerly, he touched the only eye that wasn't hidden by his hair, frowning slightly. _'...tch. I'm thinking about this too much. I'll ask Dad the next time I see him.'_

"Ugh...kill me now." Ruby groaned next to him. "Why does he drone on and on like this...?"

"Could be worse." he shrugged, pretending to be reading his book as he flipped to the next page. Useless, really, since he already memorized the whole thing. "The story's actually somewhat reasonable this time. At least for now. Bet you ten lien it gets outlandish by the time he hits thirty minutes."

"I'm so bored that I might just take you up on that..." His sister mumbled with her head face down.

"Then we have a deal..." Rouge commented as he turned another page to hide his scroll.

"Hey, Rouge?" Ruby called out weakly. "Do you think you can help me with something later?"

"What is it?"

"It's Blake." Rouge blinked. He turned his head to look at the girl, tilting his head. "Well, you see... Yang's been catching her leaving late at night. Like, when we're asleep at night. And she's getting really worried, but we don't want to try and get her angry or dodge the issue, so..."

Rouge frowned. In hindsight, he should've specifically made a stronger sleeping agent for Yang. He had been naive to think that the normal version would work against her completely. Nevertheless, he had to amend this to keep her cover. "...I'll see what I can do."

Ruby shot him a look of gratitude before she tried to keep herself occupied while Port continued on with his rather useless stories. Half an hour later, Ruby grumpily handed him ten lien.

* * *

"So you're saying that Yang suspects something?" Blake asked when she and Rouge met alone. "I used the tranquilizer though."

"Apparently, it wasn't strong enough to fully affect my eldest sister." Rouge frowned. "I'll be upping the prescription to make sure she stays soundly asleep and doesn't interfere. Then again, she might also realize you've been drugging her drinks lately." The heterochromatic teen sighed as he ran his hand through his hair. "Between my sisters, Yang's by far the most invasive, even if she means well. Chances are, she won't let you go until you give her a proper explanation."

"So, what do we do?"

"...have they asked you why you've been so listless lately?" Rouge asked her suddenly. "They would be idiots to not notice how you've been running yourself ragged with our operations."

Blake shook her head. "No, only that they've noticed how tired I've been getting. But come tonight, I think so..."

"Hm..."

"What're you thinking?"

"Well, I was going to tell you when the timing was right, but PIECE managed to give us something interesting intel." he said, earning a look of curiosity from the Faunus-in-hiding. "Torchwick's going to be hosting a White Fang Recruitment event near the Warren District sometime next week. And thanks to Cinder Fall's connections, he's even got his hands on a prototype Atlesian Paladin." Blake's eyes widened while her jaw dropped. The idea of someone like Torchwick coming into possession of a weapon like that was just insane, for all manner of reasons. Whoever Cinder Fall was, she must have had some very interesting connections, especially considering that the Paladins had yet to be initialized and sent out to the Kingdom borders. "We're going to be crashing the party. It also serves as a test to see how C.C.'s Knightmare Frames hold up against a Paladin. An excellent test run, as well as a chance to gather some field data."

Blake tilted her head. "And this has to do with my Team interrogating me...how?"

"If you recall, you were obsessed with stopping the White Fang back at the docks." Rouge pointed out to her. He then smiled when he saw her look of realization. "They probably think that you're still hung up on the idea. You can use that as an excuse. And if I know my sisters, especially Ruby, she'll probably have you all go out and try to stop Torchwick."

"A-and your okay with that?!"

Rouge scoffed. "Hell no I'm not, but do you honestly think I can stop Yang or Ruby?" he retorted, folding his arms. "Those two are as stubborn as Dad is. And trust me, it isn't a good thing. That's why I'm trusting you to make sure they don't do anything too stupid."

Blake bit her lip. If it were possible, she didn't want to drag in her team into this. But Rouge was right. Yang wouldn't stop until she got answers, and she would probably drag in Weiss and Ruby as well. She couldn't think of any other method to handle this issue. With a sigh, she nodded. "You can count on me. But what will you be doing during all of this?"

"Like I said, it would be a good test run for the Knightmares. Edan has been eager to give his a spin."the teen answered with a small smile. "The diagnostics Hue ran had some interesting results. Assuming it performs to my expectations, I expect to see Atlas fuming, and General Ironwood even more paranoid than he usually is."

"Those machines are really that powerful?" Blake asked with wide eyes. She didn't think there was anything that could surpass Atlesian technology.

"Indeed, and even more so. I could go on explaining their capabilities, but I think you'll better appreciate them seeing it in action In the meantime, why don't you head on back? I'll be sure to send you a message for when it's time to head out." Blake nodded. She then took her leave, heading on back to Team RWBY's dorm room.

Watching her leave, Rouge sighed as he ran his hand through his ebony locks, cursing Yang's astuteness. _'She definitely must have figured out that Blake had been drugging her so she could sneak out.'_ he thought, going through process of elimination. _'I should have remembered it takes a lot more than that to fully knock her out. I'll definitely have to amp up the dosage. Still, what a pain! If they're there when its time for us to get going and deal with Torchwick, then things won't be easy. Not only that, but this Cinder Fall woman worries me. Just what kind of connections does she have that would let her get her hands on a Paladin? Ironwood has those things locked down tighter than a drum!'_

It was truly concerning. This unknown variable has him on alert. He needed to learn more about this woman so he could properly deal with her when the time arrived. From what Adam had informed him, she was just another enabler of this twisted and corrupt world.

Another element that must be eradicated.

 _'But she's much more than that. She has something planned for Remnant...but what could it be?'_

Someone bumping into him pulled him out of his thoughts. "Sorry," he immediately apologized. "I was deep in thought." As he looked at the person he bumped into, his eyes widened, albeit only slightly.

 _'...speak of the Devil.'_

"It's no worries." Cinder Fall assured him, a leisurely smile present on her lips. Behind her were two others, a girl with dark skin, red eyes and mint-green hair and the other a boy with messy silver hair and a cocky smile. "The fault was mine. I should be the one saying sorry."

"It's alright. By the way, I don't think I've seen you three around before. Are you part of the transfer students?" Rouge asked, acting oblivious and casual.

"Yes. We're from Haven. We were just looking for our dorms." Cinder answered smoothly.

"I see. Well, your building is just outside of this corridor. You can't miss it."

"Thank you." Cinder nodded her head. As the three of them were about to leave, she stopped momentarily to turn to him. "Might I ask for your name?"

"My name is Rouge Rose. And you are?" He asked cordially.

"Cinder Fall. A pleasure."

With that, the woman took her leave. As she did so, a curious smile touched her face.

 _'Those eyes...'_

Despite the boy's polite demeanor, his eyes told of another story. They were observant, calculating. Focused. As if he was trying to analyze her. And, of course, the fact that he only had one Silver Eye. He was definitely the same boy she met earlier this year, but she not got the chance to examine his face up close like that.

How curious...

He seemed young. Even younger that the students here. Yet the way he carried himself indicated experience and confidence. And something even more. He was hiding away something, something that seemed strangely familiar to her. She wasn't sure what it was, but she could feel it. In the back of her mind, something was calling out to her.

 _'Could it be the Maiden's power?'_ Cinder thought idly. She then recalled what her master had told her, how she hold a risk were she to face a Silver-Eyed Warrior. Thankfully, however, neither of those two seemed to have awakened to it yet. _'Still... I could have sworn Hazel told me that all members of that bloodline had both Silver Eyes, no exception.'_

Yet she had just seen live evidence that refuted that statement. The boy Rouge only had a single silver eye. One would chalk it up to coincidence, but Cinder wasn't one to believe such. After all, there was no other bloodline that possessed such a unique ocular trait.

But why only have one Silver-Eye?

"Cinder?"

"It's nothing, Emerald." Cinder waved off her pawn's concern. So easy to manipulate this one. Even Mercury had the sense to doubt her whenever he suspected something was up. But Emerald? Poor girl thought the world of her. That she was the center of everything. It made her very easy to control and use. "Simply sorting through some thoughts is all."

 _'So, that's Cinder Fall...'_ Rouge thought, watching the woman's back as she vanished around the corner before he made a move to return to his own dorm room. _'So, she finally made her move. That explains why she's having Torchwick hold the recruitment event. While everyone is busy dealing with a criminal, nobody will notice miss femme fatale slipping into the school. If she was able to get her hands on a Paladin, then chances are, she also has connections to forge registration into Haven. Unless she does something to garner attention, Ozpin wouldn't even know a thing.'_

It was quite disappointing, really. Ozpin is the man who is supposed to be perceptive and keep an eye out for any potential threats to humanity. Yet here was one, slipping right under his nose.

Cinder Fall must've possessed some great connections to pose as a Haven student, even though she doesn't appear to be one.

 _'Seriously. How could others mistake her for a student. She obviously looks older than the teenagers here. If I didn't know any better, I'd say that she'd trying too hard to appear younger than she might be.'_

Perhaps Ozpin's true age was showing? Either that, or the man finally went senile after thousands of years. Whatever the case may be, he would have to be careful around Cinder for the time being. If she was as good as he thought she was, then Rouge was going to have to take the necessary precautions.

 _'Thankfully, though, everything should be ready within the week.'_ he thought with a small grin. _'It's just getting him here that will be tricky.'_

* * *

Surprisingly, Blake had managed to do it. Just as Rouge had predicted, they had all thought that she was still hung up about the White Fang. As much as she tried to dissuade them, Ruby was surprisingly adamant, leading them her to eventually just give up. Even so, she kept her promise with Rouge to make sure they were safe in her mind.

Once the weekend rolled around, everyone was ready for the upcoming operation. The roles were relatively simple. Weiss and Ruby would go to the Cross Continental Tower, where Weiss would get information about any shipments that had gone missing following their arrival at the ports. Yang would be going to a club in the shady part of town, which was home to an information broker. Blake would be going to the White Fang Recruitment event. At least, that had been the initial plan, until Sun and Neptune's arrival forced them to change a few things.

Blake had tried to pull Sun away from all of this, but the Monkey Faunus was adamant about helping her. In the end, she had no choice but to let him come with her while Neptune went with Yang, much to Weiss' dismay and her amusement. The Ice Queen had found someone that managed to earn her fancy, it seemed.

 _'I hope things go according to plan here...'_ Blake thought with trepidation as she and Sun made their way to where the recruitment event was going to be held. She soon stopped, however, when she saw a familiar blue-haired teen waving at her. _'Oh dear god...'_

"He~y, Kitty Cat! Was waiting for you!" Edan Flaemis, the Blue Devil said with a chipper tone. "Oh, you brought your date with you too. This should be fun!"

Sun spluttered. "D-date?" he said, clearly not expecting that before he waved his hands frantically with a look of panic. "W-whoa, hold up. We-we're not dating!"

"Your blush says otherwise, monkey boy."

"Edan." Blake sighed deeply. "Why are you here?" Edan only gave her a grin. Blake waited until she realized the answer was staring her in the face. "He put you up to this, didn't he?"

"Just added insurance. 'course, Leader was expecting you to be alone. Change of plans, I take it?"

"Sort of." Blake stepped to the side for a moment. "Sun, this is Edan Flaemis. He's a...friend of mine. Edan, this is Sun Wukong."

"Nice to meet ya. Nice abs, by the way."

Sun sweatdropped. "Um...thanks?"

While the monkey Faunus was aware that his abs was one of his great points, it was kind of odd to hear that from the new guy given the current situation.

"Seriously though." Blake continued. "Why would he even think that sending you here with us was a good idea? You're human. The recruits and the White Fang will eat you alive...and don't even get me started on your 'excitement' for battle. You being here would be more detrimental than beneficial. If he was going to send back up, why didn't he send Goe or someone else?"

At her words, Edan's smile visibly faded. "...Look, I know I seem like a trigger-happy...or sword-happy kind of guy. But trust me, I know how to keep my cover. Also...what made you think I was even human in the first place?"

His rhetorical question surprised both teens. Edan...wasn't human? "...what do you mean? You look totally human to me..." Sun responded.

Silently, the blue haired teen lowered his hood and pulled back his hair for them to see. To see two patches of scar tissue and fragments where a pair of horns used to be. Immediately, Sun and Blake gasped in horror. Edan didn't seem bothered by their stares, instead offering a weak laugh. "Kind of freaky, huh? I was a Goat Faunus, or was until my 'owner' decided I needed to have them sawed off."

"O-Owner?" Blake was almost afraid to ask that question. "You can't mean..."

"My foster father...wasn't exactly the nicest person. Let's leave it at that." Edan then pulled his hood back over his head. "It's also why I prefer wearing my hoodie. I don't like it when people stare, you know?"

"Holy shit dude..." Sun couldn't find the words. "That's...that's just..."

"It's fine. I got over it a long time ago. On the plus side, I don't have to worry about that bastard ever again..." He shrugged.

"What do you mean?" Blake asked...yet she felt like she already knew the answer if the chill running down her spine was of any indication.

"Like I said, let's leave it at that. Besides, enough about me. Let's get this show on the road, yeah? Since you know I'm a Faunus now, there's no issue, right?"

Blake nodded, albeit numbly. She felt horrible. Worse, she felt sick as she led the two boys towards the building. The signs were already there, the markings of the White Fang. And if it didn't already give it away, there was a guard standing out front, rifle on his shoulder.

 _'What kind of person does that to a Faunus?'_

She had experienced cruelty before. Some more than others, but to hear that someone had gone out of their way to do something like that - ripping off a part of a Faunus' heritage and identity... It made her stomach churn. She felt nauseous, ready to throw up. She steeled her stomach, trying her hardest not to think on it. Her mind raced back to what Rouge preached, of how there were people in this world of untold cruelty. Some of which included Faunus themselves. And the absolute scum of the human race.

If she was still uncertain about the true atrocities human and faunus could commit, then any reluctance was now dispelled.

But still...how could Edan still act like this after experiencing such trauma and pain? She glanced back to the blue haired faunus, who had a neutral expression on his face, his eyes visible from the shadows of his hood. With how grievous a wound, she wondered if the man hid his pain well. Perhaps more than she hid her own feelings from her team. Now that she thought about it, all Blake really knew Edan was his reputation. The Blue Devil of the Black Fang, who incinerates everything that got in the way of his superior. Zero's right hand man.

Over the past few weeks, she also grew to know him as a flirt who has a light-hearted nature, even in the face of danger. Yet he is capable of being serious when the situation calls for it. Not to mention his added bloodlust and battle mania.

But beyond all of that, she doesn't truly know him at all.

 _'Who are you really underneath all that, Edan...?'_

"Whoa, hey now." Blake blinked, realizing that said teen was looking at her with a grin. "If you stare at me that much, I'll start thinking you got a thing for me, Kitty Cat."

"I do not." Blake quickly turned away from him. She just remembered the fact that he was a flirt. But even so, the timing that he responded...it was as if he read her thoughts and quickly changed the subject. Or was she overthinking this?

Honestly, which was the real Edan Flaemis?

* * *

"Hue, how's loading up the Knightmare Frames?" Zero asked his subordinate.

"Quite well. Edan's should be ready to roll out soon. That is, assuming we can get it to him. Seriously, you'd think that corporate woman would at least think to install some kind of AI system in this thing. It's all monologue. Hell, it operates a system completely independent of the CCT Tower!"

"And for good reason, I assume. What do you suppose would happen if the CCT Tower became infected with a virus?"

"...good point."

"Regarding the deal for these Knightmare Frames, any new leads in regards to our...target?" Zero hesitated for a moment, frowning. He was still on edge because of that photograph, and all the more irritated for it. He hated not knowing something.

"Unfortunately, no. We've had our agents scour the four landmasses, but so far nothing."

"I see. And what of any database records?"

"Goe is still searching through every record to find a match. But so far no luck." The skunk Faunus sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Whoever this Lelouch person is, he either doesn't exist or he's hiding his tracks pretty damn well. For the record, of this turns out to be some wild goose chase, I'm gonna kill that woman."

 _'I wouldn't put it past her.'_ Rouge thought before he blinked in confusion. Why in the world had he thought that? Cecaniah Lamperouge may have seemed whimsical, but he sincerely doubted she would offer them such incredible technology and have them search for someone who didn't even exist. Besides, he wouldn't have felt so agitated if this had been a wild goose chase. "Where is Edan right now? Has he rendezvoused with Blake?"

"Seems like." Hyain shrugged his shoulders while Hue went back to working on the Knightmare Frame. "PIECE went dark two days ago, as we expected. Seems like that Cinder chick is starting to realize something's up." The wolf Faunus frowned heavily. "H-hey, boss, what do we do if he gets caught? I mean, the whole reason our operations have succeeded so far is because we've got someone high up feeding us intel. If we lose him now-"

"If we lose him now, it won't hinder us." Zero cut him off, waving a hand before speaking to his subordinate in assurance. "I already have a few contingency plans in mind. For now, let's focus on the task at hand."

"R-right..."

The Raccoon and Skunk Faunus returned to their work, leaving Zero to his thoughts. While it would be...annoying for PIECE's position to be compromised, it would not be detrimental in the long run. He had back up plans upon backup plans for any occasion.

He just had to make sure to pull PIECE out of there quickly if he ever were to be compromised. After all, Adam was far too important for his plans, especially in the long run. More than that, however, Adam was a dear friend of his. Both understood that they couldn't allow personal feelings to get involved in their work, but Rouge preferred not to lose valuable assets. And more importantly, his friends.

 _'So long as PIECE's true allegiances haven't been discovered, a meeting with her isn't completely impossible.'_ he thought with a small smile. Admittedly, it was something of a long shot, but if there was a chance that a meeting between him and Sienna Khan could be made real, and the possibility of them working together, even if it would be a one-sided relationship, then he couldn't afford to lose Adam. _'At any rate, if things go the way I expect them to, we'll need to prepare the Knightmare as soon as possible.'_

Still, though...

Was it his imagination, or had he seen these machines before?

* * *

When Ruby reunited with Penny while she and Weiss were in the middle of their current task, the last thing she would have expected as to know that Penny was secretly an android. More than that, however, she was an android that could project Aura. A machine that possessed a soul. It sounded like something from a sci-fi comic, and Ruby would never have believed it, had she not seen the metallic skin that was underneath the damaged bits of flesh on her hands, after having protected Ruby from being struck by a truck.

Of course, Ruby didn't think too much of it. After all, even if she was just made up of scrap, bolts and wires, she had a soul. That made her a person. And that, of course, elicited another bone-crushing hug. And thankfully, Ruby had managed to lead Penny away from a group of Atlesian soldiers that were chasing after them, despite Penny's protests that she would be fine. To be on the safe side, however, Ruby suggested that Penny should tell whoever her father was that she was okay and with her, considering Penny already had her Scroll number.

And naturally, the tidbit about her discovering her true nature was to be kept secret.

"So, um, besides the General, does anybody else know about your...condition?" Ruby asked curiously before she winced when she referred to Penny's true nature like it was some kind of disease.

Thankfully, the woefully naive girl was none the wiser. "Aside from General Ironwood and father, I believe the only other person that would know is Jacques Schnee." she answered. "He did provide the funds for my creation, though he did initially believe he was investing in another sort of project."

"Wait, Weiss' dad knows?"

"Of course! Now that I think about it, all special military personnel in Atlas knows!"

"...and, uh, what happens if somebody outside the chain of command or outside of Atlas found out? Like, you know, me?"

"Oh, don't worry, Friend Ruby! At best, you'd only be looking at a few years in a Federal Kingdom Prison!" Penny chirped, ignorant of Ruby's utter look of horror. "At worst, however, I believe you would face life imprisonment! Even so, you would be treated very well! The facilities in Atlas are all asked to treat prisoners with the utmost level of respect, and as humanely as possible!"

Despite Penny's attempt to comfort Ruby, the red hooded girl felt the complete opposite as her face paled as white as a sheet. Prison?! She didn't want to go to jail! She wanted to be a Huntress! What would Yang say? What would Uncle Qrow say? What would Dad say? What would Rouge say?!

She was doomed! She wouldn't last in prison! She's too cute and adorable! And Atlas facilities tended to house some of the most dangerous criminals! And she heard what happens if you drop the soap!

She needed to think of some thing! She didn't want to go to prison! "...then, c-can you not tell anyone I know?" Ruby pleaded. "Please?"

"Know what?"

"EEEP!"

Ruby yelped and leaped into the arms of Penny, who tilted her head in confusion. Weiss, who had arrived after she concluded her phone call to the Schnee Dust Company, looked at Ruby weirdly. "What's wrong with you?"

"Nothing! Absolutely nothing!" Ruby quickly cried in a panic. "I don't know a thing! I swear!"

Weiss quirked a brow at her partner's strange behavior. Normally, when people acted like that, they were definitely hiding something. Plus, she was easy to read. But then again, she doubted it was anything of relevance. "Whatever. I got the information we needed. All that's left is to regroup with The others."

"O-oh..." Ruby calmed down immediately and lowered her head. Then she realized that she was sitting in Penny's arms and blushed, climbing out of her arms.

Weiss shook her head before she nodded to Penny. "Sorry if the dunce was a bit troublesome."

"Oh, it was fine! In fact, I dare say Friend Ruby and I have bonded!" Penny said with a smile before she tilted her head. "If I may ask, what brings you all here to the Cross Continental Tower? A school asignment?"

Ruby opened her mouth to answer, only for her and Weiss' Scroll to start ringing. Simultaneously, at that. Looking at each other in confusion, they took out their Scrolls, finding that it was Blake calling them. Immediately, they feared for the worst and answered the call.

Then they heard Sun screaming, followed by the excited yells of a second male voice. [HEEEEEEEELP!]

[WOOOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOO!]

"...what in the world?" Weiss wondered. "Blake? What's going on?"

[Long story short, Torchwick was at the recruitment event, and we're being chased by-]

[-A ROBOT! BIG GIANT ROBOT! AND IT'S SHOOTING AT US!]

[AND WE'RE HAVING THE TIME OF OUR LIVES!]

[NO WE'RE NOT!]

The two males argued. The girls looked at each other in confusion before Blake answered again. [As I was saying, we're being chased by Torchwick inside of an Atlesian Paladin!]

Penny gasped. "What?! How did a criminal like him obtain a Paladin?!"

[Wait, is that Penny?!]

"Long story!" Ruby said. "Where are you right now?!" She heard Sun scream again...but it wasn't from their Scroll. Rather, it came close by. On cue, on the other side of the street, a giant metal construction rampaged straight through, chasing after a hooded teen with Sun and Blake following close behind. "...okay, nevermind then."

* * *

"Torchwick's on the move." Goe reported to Zero from her computer. "Edan's in position, Boss."

"Good." Zero nodded, smiling beneath his mask. "Send in the Knightmare. It's time for a test run..."

* * *

If you were the average evening driver, chances are, you would very likely find yourself scared out of your mind. And you might ask, why would you be scared?

The answer came in the form of a ten-foot robot, barreling straight through the street as it knocked cars out of its path, charging straight ahead and after three young teenagers as they attempted to escape from it. "This is freaking awesome!" Edan cried as he leaped onto a truck, Blake following after him. "I want one of those!"

"You already have one!" Blake hissed, questioning his sanity before she looked around. "Wait, where's Sun?!"

"Last I saw, he was trying to distract the Paladin!" Edan pointed out behind them. Blake glanced behind them and saw a couple of gold, Aura clones leap onto the monstrous mech, courtesy of the Monkey Faunus. He was positioned on top of another car, palms pressed against each other while his face bore a look of the utmost concentration, albeit pained with sweat dripping from his forehead.

Not far behind the Paladin, however, Yang and Neptune were zooming straight through the oncoming traffic and damage Roman Torchwick was creating in his attempts to kill the three. "Think you can slow him down?!" Yang shouted at Neptune.

"I can try!" he told her as he positioned himself as best as possible on her bike, grabbing his weapon. "Think you can get us any closer?!"

"Hold on!"

"Uwah!" Neptune cried as he nearly flew off from the motrocycle. Thankfully, he used his legs to hang on and reoriented himself. He unholstered the rifle from his back and shot off electrical blasts. Unfortunately, the blasts failed to do any significant damage. Yang sped up again until they were right next to each other. Neptune stood from his seat and transformed his weapon into a Trident. He leaped up and stabbed the three prongs into the Paladin's shoulder joint.

The damage done to the machine was immediately relayed to Roman, who scowled as a monitor showed Neptune trying to pull his weapon out, in an attempt to severe the arm. The Paladin then began to move erratically, causing Neptune to hold on for dear life. "Hang on buddy!" Sun cried, taking out his weapon and leaping forward. Unfortunately, this was the opportunity the mobster was looking for, grabbing Neptune and throwing him at Sun, causing the two to clash and tumble out from the highway. Blake's eyes widened immediately in horror, dearly hoping they were going to be okay. If it weren't for their Aura, she was sure they would have died from this height.

"My turn, asshole!" Edan said with a vicious grin as he drew his sword, sending a crescent wave of blue flames at the Paladin. Roman's eyes widened and immediately pulled the machine to the side, evading it. As a result, the street became covered in flames and scorch marks. As Roman prepared to attack again, Edan readied his sword.

Then the communicator in his ear sparked to life. "The package is in position." Goe's voice told him, no doubt grinning. "Break away from Team RWBY."

"Got it! Time for some fun!" Edan grinned. He sheathed his sword and immediately broke off to the side and jumped off the highway.

"Edan!" Blake cried at his sudden action.

"Be back in a sec!" Was what he said before he completely disappeared off the edge. Before Blake could continue, another voice interjected.

"Blake! I'm in position!"

Not far up ahead, Weiss was standing in the middle of the highway, Myrtenaster held firmly in hand as her icy blue eyes watched as Roman Torchwick in his stolen Paladin approached. A car with Blake riding on top passed her by. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw Blake leaping down, no doubt having already been informed of the plan. Smiling, she returned her attention to Torchwick. Aura flaring through her being and glyph forming underneath her, she spun around and slammed her rapier into the road. Minutes later, the road in front of her became coated in ice. Thus, when Roman approached, the Paladin was unable to keep its footing and fell on its iron rear, sliding off the hallway and falling down to street level, where Team RWBY was waiting for him.

Chuckling at this opportune moment, Roman advanced the Paladin with the intent to crush them.

"Freezerburn!" Ruby shouted. She and Blake stepped back while Weiss and Yang remained. The former spun to stab her rapier to the ground, creating a sheet of ice while the latter jumped up and slammed a blazing fist onto the frozen patch.

The result was a thick mass of fog that disrupted the Paladin's visual sensors. It waked forward, trying to search its targets through the mist, unable to see the shadow speed by it.

"Tch, god dammit...!"

Two more blurs moved past him. Roman swung the Paladin around to fire off a couple of energy blasts at them, only to miss. He then noticed the paths of two blurs crossing, so he shot at the point of intersection. The explosion blew Yang and Blake away, yet Ruby used this opening to shoot herself at the Paladin and stab into it with Crescent Rose. However, the blade didn't pierce through the hull deep enough. Left dangling, Roman grabbed her and threw her aside, sending her body flying through the air. With her locked in his sights, Roman aimed the turrets straight at her.

Then the Paladn was knocked right off its feet and flung aside like it was a paperweight. "The hell?!" The hull screeched as it slid across the pavement. Roman himself jostled slightly inside his cockpit. When the shaking stopped, he rubbed the side of his head and stood the Paladin up straight, getting back to his feet. "Okay...what the hell was..."

He soon trailed off, as his jaw went slack, kissing the console.

Penny Polendina stood her ground, green eyes glaring down the Paladin, blades dancing around her, all ready to take him down. "Roman Torchwick! You are hereby under arrest!"

"...god dammit. These kids today! They just keep getting weirder!

The orange haired android then flung her blades forward, piercing the metal hull. She then pulled her arms back and the swords followed the motion. The resulting jerk in movement sent the Paladin slamming into the ground. With the Paladin down, Weiss and Yang were able to move in. The former spun on her heel and stabbed Myrtenaster into the ground, creating a series of yellow glyphs that danced underneath the blonde brawler's feet. Her movements increased, her body moved faster. She leaped up and she came down like a missile on steroids, fist clenched, only to miss when Roman managed to pull the Paladin away with a quick toss to its side, bouncing the oversized machine back up to its feet.

"How the hell is that thing so freaking fast?" Yang questioned. "Shouldn't it be, you know, slow because of its size?"

"Unfortunately, the Paladin's have been equipped with boosters and specially made joints and limbs for added dexterity and agility." Penny informed as she regrouped with the others.

Blake paled at that. "...and aside from turrets and missiles, what else is it equipped with?"

"It has semi-collapsible fists for melee combat and capable of cannon fire."

"Great..." Weiss groaned.

* * *

"Is everyone in position?" Zero called.

"Yes sir!" The rest of his troops cried.

"What about you, Edan?"

"All ready and rearing to go, glorious Leader! I can't wait to see what this badass mother can do!"

The man chuckled. So much enthusiasm. "And what about Team RWBY and the girl?"

"Still in the crossfire. Do we continue?"

"Yes. Just be sure not to harm any of them. Especially the silver-eyed girl and the blonde one." His voice grew deeper, primal almost as he spoke his next words. "If either one of them comes to harm, I'll have your heads."

"Whatever you say, ya sister-complex nut." Edan laughed. "Now, how did that line in that one show go? Oh, right! Edan Flaemis, in Knightmare Frame Diablos! MOVING OUT!"

* * *

"Bumblebee!" Ruby cried out. Weiss switched out with Blake and threw her weapon while keeping ho,d of the ribbon. Yang took hold of the other end and used her gauntlets to propel herself around th Paladin hike Blake added to her momentum by swinging her around.

Roman clicked his tongue, bouncing out of the way and avoiding Yang's strike, only to then find himself promptly propelled forward when Penny reeled him in after stabbing the giant mech with her swords. Yang swooped in low, going for its leg to knock it back down to the ground. She then jumped on top of its main body and continued to punch it repeatedly. Roman got his bearings and pulled up the Paladin and charged forward, slamming the brawler into one of the concrete pillars supporting the highway. He then used the Paladin's fist to smack her into the ground.

"Yang!" Blake cried in worry, about to rush to her partner in worry.

Ruby stopped her. "It's fine! Yang's Semblance takes whatever someone throws at her, and she hits back harder!" As evidence, Yang stood up, albeit staggering a bit before she raised her head, yellow hair lit aflame and lilac eyes burning red. "C'mon, we need to push! Just a bit more!"

"Um... Friend Ruby?" Penny said, suddenly confused. Either her sensors were playing tricks on her, or... "Out of curiosity, did Torchick acquire a second Paladin?"

"What? I-I don't know! Blake, did he?"

"I don't know, but he might have. Why?"

"I'm detecting a-"

 ** _[WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOOO!]_**

Before penny could finish, a massive shadow jumped off the highway above. It descended quickly, one leg extended and kicked the Paladin into the ground. It then nimbly jumped off and landed on the ground in a smooth skid.

The girls were speechless. What they were now witnessing...it definitely was NOT a Paladin.

Yang stared at it, her earlier excitement and desire of revenge gone.

Weiss' jaw became unhinged, meeting the floor.

Blake groaned and face-palmed.

Penny tilted her head.

Ruby stared at it with stars in her awes.

"...that. Is. _AWESOME_!"

Standing in the middle of the clearing was a large, mechanical body with navy blue armor plating and gold edging. Its form was sleek and stream-lined compared to the Paladin. On its back was a large, metal canister, presumable where the cockpit was. On its waist was a sheathed sword and a battle rifle that fit its size. It seemed to have some sort of claws on top of its gauntlets. The most eye-catching feature of course, were the horns on its head.

"What-" Weiss gasped, struggling to breathe. "What in the hell is that?!"

 _'...well. It seems Edan has a flare for the dramatic...'_ Blake thought with a twitching eyebrow. Seriously, his thought of an entrance was a flying drop kick?

Well, it certainly got their attention at least.

The teen in the Knightmare cackled as the paladin pushed itself up. _**[Gotta say. These things work like a dream. Much better than that piece of shit tin can you're piloting, Torchwick.]**_

[And who the fuck are you?]

 _ **[Ever heard of the Black Fang?]**_

Weiss choked. "Excuse me?!"

 _'And subtly is not his strong suit either.'_ Blake added, shaking her head mournfully. ' _Really, what was I expecting?'_

[Heard of them?! If I recall, it was you bastards who ruined my heist at the docks!]

 _ **[Oh yeah. We do that, didn't we? Well, here's to ruining another one of your ventures!]**_ He quickly upholstered his battle rifle and open fired. The shells impacted the Paladin's armor, causing noticeable damage. _**[And then some! Besides, if you want to blame someone, blame yourself for getting involved with someone like Cinder Fall!]**_

* * *

Unknown to either party, however, a small black bird was watching the whole thing unfold, red eyes keenly locked on to its target before it cawed and flapped its wings, flying away and into the night sky...

* * *

 **A Night to Remember...END**

* * *

"To improve is to change; to be perfect is to change often." -Winston Churchill


End file.
